Grief Fest: The Grief Film Festival - Films About Love, Loss and Healing Thru the Lens (1)

Festival start: 25 November 2026      Festival end: 03 January 2027

Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival - Intro Video (1 Min):

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BOCS7VUFZB8

About:
Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival — Films About Love, Loss and Healing Thru the Lens

Grief is one of the most universal human experiences—and one of the most powerful stories a filmmaker can tell.

The Grief Film Festival (“Grief Fest™”) is a new international film festival dedicated to films that explore grief in all its forms: love, loss, remembrance, transformation, resilience, and healing. We invite filmmakers of all experience levels, from first-time creators to established studios, to submit films of any duration and any genre that engage with the subject of grief in authentic, meaningful, and human ways.

This is not Cannes—and we are proud of that.

While many outstanding festivals focus on innovation, technical perfection, and industry prestige, Grief Fest is a community-powered festival. Our films are not judged by red carpets or elite panels alone, but by the soul of the community. We celebrate how effectively a filmmaker connects with real people—how the story lands, resonates, opens dialogue, and creates shared understanding around grief.

What Makes Grief Fest - The Grief Film Festival Different

Honoring:
Grief Fest honors the many talented filmmakers worldwide whose work has been inspired and/or impacted by grief; including the many who are no longer with us today. One of the inspirations for the creation of Grief Fest: The Grief Fest Film Festival came from one very talented filmmaker out of Boston, Massachusetts whose work and life were deeply impacted by grief - Enrique Oliver (1958-2026).

Community-Centered Storytelling:
Our focus is on impact, emotional truth, and connection—not just production value.

Street-Level Audience Insight:
Filmmakers, distributors, and investors gain real-world audience perception and reactions to films addressing one of humanity’s most shared experiences.

Inclusive & Accessible:
All filmmakers are welcome—students, independents, collectives, nonprofits, and studios of all sizes. Grief Fest welcomes all films, and the festival is an all-inclusive, non-religious, LGBTQ+ friendly, and all-welcoming film festival.

Any Duration, Any Format: Shorts, features, micro-films, documentaries, narratives, experimental works, poetry readings and hybrid forms are all encouraged.

Global Perspective:
Grief transcends culture, language, and borders—and so do the stories we seek.

Why Submit
Grief Fest offers something rare: authentic audience engagement.
Selected films will be screened:

Screenings of the selected films:
The in-person and virtual screenings of the selected "Grief Fest™" films will take place during the 2026 year-end holidays. The community screenings will take place during the Thanksgiving (November 25 - 29), and Christmas/New Year's (December 24 - January 3) holidays. The hybrid festival format expands reach beyond the in-person screening thru the Grief Fest Screening Room in the Film Festival Plus Platform (https://tgff.filmfestivalplus.com). This hybrid experience provides filmmakers with valuable insight into how their work resonates across different communities and platforms—information that is meaningful for future distribution, development, and investment conversations.

The 2026 Grief Fest Films
Every film selected for the 2026 Grief Fest is, in our eyes, already a film of distinction. Each represents courageous storytelling and a meaningful contribution to how we understand, express, and navigate grief together.

At the close of the festival year, we will share the "2026 Grief Fest - Top Honors Films" per category. The 2026 Grief Fest Honors recognize the films that resonated most deeply with both our community audience and festival jury. These films will be announced on the main festival website (GriefFest.com) on New Year’s Eve (12/31/2026) and will also be highlighted in the Grief Fest Screening Room on the Film Festival Plus platform.

We celebrate every filmmaker whose work is part of Grief Fest. The films receiving Top Honors this year exemplify storytelling that connected with particular depth and clarity, reflecting creative approaches that moved audiences and jurors alike. While each selected film has made a meaningful impact, these “Top Honors” recognize those works whose resonance rose to an exceptional level — offering insights that may help shape and inspire the future of grief-centered storytelling.

Our Mission
Grief Fest exists to create space—for stories, for conversations, and for collective healing. We believe film can:

Normalize conversations around grief

Build empathy and understanding

Strengthen community through shared experience

Transform personal loss into collective meaning

If your film explores grief not just as an ending, but as a journey—through love, loss, memory, and healing—we want to experience it with our community.

Submit your film.
Share your story.
Join the conversation.

Welcome to GriefFest™ - The Grief Film Festival

Films about love, loss and healing through the lens....

Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival proudly honors films for their emotional impact, authenticity, and ability to connect with the community, rather than through traditional trophies or physical prizes.

The 2026 Grief Fest Films
Every film selected for the 2026 Grief Fest is, in our eyes, already a film of distinction. Each represents courageous storytelling and a meaningful contribution to how we understand, express, and navigate grief together.

At the close of the festival year, we will share the "2026 Grief Fest Top Honors."

The 2026 Grief Fest Honors recognize the films that resonated most deeply with both our community audience and festival jury. These films will be announced on the main festival website (GriefFest.com) on New Year’s Eve (12/31/2026) and will also be highlighted in the Grief Fest Screening Room on the Film Festival Plus platform.

We celebrate every filmmaker whose work is part of Grief Fest. The films receiving Honors this year exemplify storytelling that connected with particular depth and clarity, reflecting creative approaches that moved audiences and jurors alike. While each selected film has made a meaningful impact, these Honors recognize those works whose resonance rose to an exceptional level — offering insights that may help shape and inspire the future of grief-centered storytelling.

There are no statues, trophies, or shipping fees associated with our awards. Instead, all winning films will receive:

Official digital award certificates issued through the platforms the filmmakers submitted their film.

Additional downloadable certificates delivered directly via email for easy sharing, printing, and promotion

Official Grief Fest "Selection & Honors" laurels for use in marketing, press, and distribution materials.

Global Promotion for Winning Films
Honor-receiving titles receive extended visibility through MyGriefAngels.org, the festival’s sponsoring nonprofit organization.

My Grief Angels was recently recognized as one of the “13 Best Mental Health Resources of 2025,” and maintains a growing global audience across: MyGriefAngels.org and affiliated websites, Online newsletters and email communications, Social media and digital outreach channels, Festival-related community and educational initiatives

This promotional support helps winning films reach audiences who are deeply engaged with conversations around grief, mental health, and healing—long after the festival concludes.

Recognition That Travels
Rather than physical awards that sit on a shelf, Grief Fest Honors are designed to travel digitally, helping filmmakers amplify their work, demonstrate audience impact, and share meaningful recognition with viewers, partners, distributors, and investors worldwide.

At Grief Fest™ - The Grief Film Festival,
Your story—and the community it touches—is the true award.

Grief Film Fest™ (GriefFest)

Rules & Terms for Film Submission

By submitting a film to Grief Fest™ - The Grief Film Festival via Festhome and the Grief Fest Screening Room on the Film Festival Plus Screening Platform (https://tgff.filmfestivalplus.com), the submitting filmmaker, producer, or rights holder (“Submitter”) acknowledges and agrees to the following Rules & Terms in their entirety.

1. Eligibility

GriefFest accepts films of any length, genre, format, and country of origin.

Films must substantially engage with the theme of grief, including but not limited to love, loss, mourning, remembrance, trauma, resilience, recovery, and healing.

Films may be narrative, documentary, experimental, animated, hybrid, or any other form.

There is no minimum or maximum production date, unless otherwise stated in a specific category.

2. Rights & Permissions

The Submitter confirms they are the legal rights holder or have obtained all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions required for exhibition of the film.

This includes, but is not limited to: music, images, archival footage, likenesses, voice recordings, and intellectual property.

GriefFest assumes no responsibility for copyright infringement or legal disputes arising from submitted content.

3. Submission Fees

All submission fees are non-refundable, regardless of selection status.

Submission fees do not guarantee acceptance or screening.

4. Selection & Programming

Official Selection decisions are made at the sole discretion of GriefFest.

GriefFest reserves the right to:

Program films in live screenings, online screenings, or both

Determine screening order, schedule, venue, and format

Screen only portions of a film if required for programming or technical reasons (with notice when possible)

Not all submitted films will be selected, and not all selected films may receive the same number of screenings.

5. Exhibition Rights (Required)

By submitting a film, the Submitter grants GriefFest the non-exclusive, royalty-free right to:

Screen the film:

Onsite at Grief Fest screening venues with live audiences; including but not limited to:

November 27, 2026 - All Day Screening and voting. On Site at the Grief Fest Screening Room - Magnolia Meeting Space, Magnolia, Texas for preregistered in-person festival ticket holders only. No onsite ticket sales.

Virtually to registered festival-supporting community members via the Film Festival Plus screening platform (https://tgff.filmfestivalplus.com); including but not limited to the preliminary dates included below:

The Grief Fest Virtual Community Screenings are scheduled the 2026 year-end holidays. The Grief Fest virtual community screenings will take place during the Thanksgiving (11/25-29/2025) & Christmas/New Year's holidays (12/24/2026-1/3/2027)

The "Grief Fest Top Honors Films" per category will be announced on the main festival website (GriefFest.com) on New Year's eve (December 31) and they will also be highlighted in the Grief Fest screening room on the Film Fest Plus platform (https://tgff.filmfestivalplus.com)

Exhibit the film only during the official GriefFest festival periods as noted earlier, including encore or extended community screenings directly related to the festival.

The Submitter retains full ownership of their film at all times.

6. Online Screening Acknowledgment

Online screenings are limited to registered festival supporters and are not intended for public, unrestricted distribution.

Grief Fest will make reasonable efforts to protect films from unauthorized access but cannot guarantee absolute protection against piracy.

By submitting, the filmmaker acknowledges and accepts this risk.

7. Audience-Based Evaluation

Grief Fest is a community-centered festival.

Films may be evaluated, discussed, or recognized based on audience engagement, emotional impact, and community response, rather than traditional technical or industry metrics.

By submitting, filmmakers agree to participate in a festival that values real-life audience perception and dialogue.

8. Content Disclaimer

Films may address sensitive topics including death, trauma, illness, violence, or emotional distress.

The Submitter acknowledges that Grief Fest audiences may include individuals personally affected by grief.

Grief Fest reserves the right to provide content advisories and to decline films deemed harmful, exploitative, or inconsistent with the festival’s mission of respect and healing.

9. Promotional Use

The Submitter grants Grief Fest permission to use:

Film stills

Trailers

Excerpts (up to 3 minutes)

Filmmaker names, bios, and statements
for festival promotion, press, website, social media, and archival purposes.

10. Filmmaker Participation

Filmmakers may be invited (but are not required) to participate in:

Q&A sessions

Panel discussions

Community conversations (live or virtual)

Participation is voluntary and not guaranteed.

11. Disqualification

Grief Fest reserves the right to disqualify any submission if:

Information provided is false or misleading

Rights or permissions cannot be verified

The film violates these Rules & Terms

The film is found to be inconsistent with the festival’s mission or values

12. Liability Limitation

Grief Fest is not responsible for lost, damaged, or corrupted files.

Grief Fest is not liable for any costs incurred by the Submitter in connection with submission, exhibition, or participation.

Submitters agree to indemnify and hold harmless GriefFest, its organizers, venues, partners, and volunteers from any claims arising from the exhibition of the submitted film.

13. Language of the Films - Hardcoded Subtitles Requirement
If the films being submitted are "not" in English, they must have harcoded subtitles. Hardcoded subtitles or forced subtitles are subtitles for foreign dialogue or text in an otherwise English-language film that cannot be turned off because they are permanently part of the video image, ensuring comprehension for the viewer.

14. High Definition:
All film submissions must be available in High Definition to upload to the Grief Fest Screening Room in the Film Festival Plus Screening Platform (https://tgff.filmfestivalplus.com) and through festhome link, youtube, vimeo or other secured video platform for screening in both live and online events.

15. Acceptance of Terms

Submission of a film through Festhome constitutes full acceptance of these Rules & Terms.